Let's Do It All Over Again
by elisesdean
Summary: Princess Belle escapes just before she's to marry Gaston. She runs away, runs into another kingdom and runs into Ruby. *Red Beauty*


****I decided to upload all the finished one-shots I had in my folders in gratitude for being such great friends and reviewers while I go on a (possibly very long hiatus).****

**Anonymous asked you: ****The real Beauty and the Beast, Ruby x Belle**

Belle had made good time since she left her father's palace. She refused to marry Gaston and if her father couldn't wrap his head around it, then she would make clear just how real this decision was. She refused to marry for anything but love. She knew it was selfish, but she couldn't back out now.

Besides, she was sure Gaston would have some sort of alternate plan, and while the man was a jerk, he was perfectly molded to run a country. He was kind to the townspeople and that was all she needed to know before she took off just as the sun set the night before her wedding that she wasn't to know was coming.

The walls had eyes and ears. Her father always forgot.

She'd packed three books, one on wilderness surviving, and two on legends around the kingdoms. Aside from the books, she had a cloak, another change of clothes and the gold coins she'd saved over the years.

The winter air was setting in and her thick traveling clothes weren't doing it for her as she crossed the kingdom line. She knew she needed to get further into this kingdom before she stopped for the night, but cold slowed her significantly. She dug in her pack for her cloak and trudged on.

She could swear she felt eyes watching her. Though every time she turned, she saw nothing. Fear of the creatures she could encounter took over and she started running as best she could. She tripped over a tree root and tried to pick herself up, but the distinct growling caught her attention. She turned to find eight pairs of eyes surrounding her.

Beneath the bright white of the full moon, she saw the wolf pack, each wolf ready to strike. She saw the angry puffs of air come from their mouths, the glower of their blue, grey and tan eyes.

She took in a ragged breath. She looked to the side, debating on trying to make a break for it. The leader of the pack didn't let her finish the thought. The wolves descended upon her. She felt a hot mouth clamp on her arm and she felt claws on her legs, and then all of the sudden, she didn't.

The thought that it might be the gods letting her not feel pain in her death crossed her mind, but moments later, she felt the sting of the cold snow against her exposed skin and the drip of blood traveling down her arm. She looked over and saw a wolf that was much larger than the rest. It was black as the night that surrounded them, though it stuck out against the snow and the moonlight. It had bright, almost glowing gold eyes. They were tantalizing; they didn't draw fear like the others. She watched as the wolf howled in the moonlight.

And she watched the wolf walk over to her and sniff around. She watched the wolf nose her rucksack and finally flip the strap over its neck as if it were going to carry it and she waited with baited breath as this wolf's mouth made its way toward her neck. She felt it nibble at the string that held her clock together and felt it pull it apart. Then she watched the wolf bite the hood and start to drag.

Belle was astonished to say the least. She was not scared, not anymore. If anything she was intrigued. She started to roll off the cloak as she was dragged, but the wolf stopped its movement and growled.

"I think I can walk…" She didn't know why she was trying to talk to a wolf, but it seemed to work.

The wolf looked at her skeptically and sat with the cloak still between its teeth. Belle stood and took a couple steps. Then, as the blood ran from her head, she made sure to fall back on the cloak. She remembered hearing a sigh from the wolf and feeling a nose on her arm and legs, moving her entirely onto her cloak, but she blacked out at that point.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Belle was sore all over. She heard muffled voices fighting and opened her eyes. Just as she focused to find probably the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen and an older woman clearly fed up, she saw them both turn to her and stop talking.

She watched the older woman lean in as the younger woman turned to her fully and whisper something. "Granny!" the younger woman scolded before she came over to her. "You gave us quite a scare there."

Belle tried to sit up, but all of her strength seemed to be elsewhere. She was completely drained.

"Whoa, there." The girl helped her sit up and leaned in to stuff an extra pillow behind Belle's head.

"How long have I been asleep?" Belle tried to ignore this girl's closeness.

"I don't think you want to know."

"Where's that wolf?"

"Wolf?" The girl seemed surprised that Belle remembered.

"The one that dragged me…here I guess. Where am I? What kingdom am I in?"

"Uh… The White Kingdom… You were traveling somewhere specific?"

"Traveling from somewhere specific…" Belle looked around.

The other girl stood and moved to the fire nearby, checking on a stew that was brewing. "Are you going to travel everywhere, or just far enough from where you came?"

"Everywhere, I suppose. I've nothing tying me to anything… And I've always longed for adventure…" Belle eyed the girl, "What's your name?"

"Red." The girl took a bowl from a nearby table and started to spoon some of the brew into it.

"Red? Like…the color?"

Red gave her a look, "What's yours?"

"Belle."

"Like the things in church towers?" Red asked, mocking Belle's earlier tone.

Belle pursed her lips, "I'm sorry. I've just never known a 'Red' before."

"Well, I've never met a Belle." Red came back over and placed it in Belle's lap. "Eat this. It will make you feel better."

"What is it?"

"Herbal remedy."

"And just what are you remedying?"

"…" Red looked around, "Common cold. Infection."

"Infection? What infection?"

"It prevents it… for wounds?" Red stared at the other girl's arm.

Belle looked down to see a nice neat bandage. "Oh yes…" She looked back up to the other woman, "You never did tell me what happened to that wolf…"

"Sometimes they just leave a wounded prey in the middle of a feast. There's no rhyme or reason for it."

"I'm not asking about the wolf pack… I'm asking about the lone wolf that saved me."

"A lone wolf? In these parts? No. Not possible."

"No it's true! It was huge! It had fur that blended in with the night and these..bright gold eyes. It was unlike I've ever seen. It was a magnificent beast."

"Beast? If the _beast_ was so _magnificent_ then why use that word?" Red almost seemed offended.

"It's just what came to mind…" Belle trailed off. She stared down at the soup and eventually took a bite as silence swept over the large living area they were in. "They were captivating…" Belle mumbled.

"What?" Red asked as she moved to the other end of the room and brought over Belle's bag.

"The eyes. The wolf's eyes. They were…" She trailed off once more as she saw Red dig through her bag, "Is that mine?"

"Yes. It's soaked. I was going to hang your clothes and take everything out to hang it as well…"

Belle accepted that but when Red just about shrieked, she stared hard at this other girl. She saw Red holding her coin purse.

"What?"

"You must have at least fifty gold coins in here!" Red came over and held it just out of reach. She then pushed herself forward, intrigue all over her face, "Are you a thief?"

"No." Belle swiped the coin purse from the other girl, "Will you please bring my books to me?"

Red raised her brows at the action, "Yes ma'am. Geez, if you aren't a thief, with these nice duds you must be a princess. Am I right?" Red turned back joking but sobered when she saw Belle looking anywhere but her direction.

Red came back over quickly, books in hand, "You're a _princess_?" She whispered as she set the books down and stared at the other girl.

Belled simply set her empty bowl on the bedside table and laid back down, facing away from Ruby.

~0~0~0~0~0~

A couple nights later, Red found Belle trying to pack her things quietly so no one would hear her. If only she knew.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"Away."

"You're not healed yet."

"I'm healed enough. I need to keep going."

"And what if you get hurt again? The week of the full moon is always bad for anyone that steps outside in these parts."

"You would know."

Red halted all movements, "Excuse me?"

Belle tilted her head, "I'm not an idiot, Red. I know you saved me. I know who you are…"

"And who am I?"

"The magnificent beast."

"My curse is not _who_ I am."

"It's a part of who you are." Belle said smartly. "It doesn't define you, it's not what you are."

Red came close to her, "Don't leave yet."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want you to go. You're the first person that's accepted my curse. You're the first person that I didn't have to tell. You're the first person that hasn't made me out to be a monster."

"Your not a monster."

"I'm a beast once a month."

"As most women are."

Red gave the other girl a surprised look; the surprise overrode the laugh in her throat, "Princesses aren't supposed to speak like that…"

"I'm not a princess anymore." Belle shoved her book in her rucksack.

"Please don't go. There is more to this than this."

"More to this than this?"

"Yes."

Belle looked down, "When am I allowed to leave? I don't have much time before my father's men come into this kingdom and ask to look for me door to door…"

"Just until the end of wolf's week. I'll go with you; I'll protect you."

"I don't need protecting."

"Forgive me for saying so, but you do. And like you I've always longed for adventure."

~0~0~0~0~0~

Granny watched them leave moment dawn broke at the end of wolf's week. She'd told her granddaughter just how many dangers were in store for her, nothing stopped her. Why should she anyways? She saw the look in her granddaughter's eyes. She knew what she saw there, and she knew that Red didn't even have a clue. So, she leaned against the front door archway, a candle lamp in her hand and watched the two women mount their best horse, and ride off with the coming morning.

And it was good they left when they did too, for a couple hours later, the older woman was opening her door to French guards.

"Have you seen this girl?"

The guard shoved a crude drawing of the girl she'd helped care for, for the last week in her face. She stared at it for a long moment. She shook her head telling them she didn't, "Who is she? Some sort of governess?"

"She's the Princess of France."

"Oh, Princess? Well…" Granny rubbed her chin, "I ain't seen her."

"You're sure?"

"Did I stutter?"

The guard glared at the older woman before turning and leaving.

"Girl, I hope you know what you're doing." Granny whispered to herself as she locked the door behind the men as they left her home.

~0~0~0~0~0~

"We'll have to set up camp for the night." Red noted as she leapt from her horse's back and offered her hands to help the princess.

Belle glared at the hands and slid down herself. "I'm a princess, I'm not immune to getting off a horse."

"I thought you weren't a princess."

Belle glared at the other girl, "Then why did you…?"

"You're still hurt." Red spoke deadpan as she moved to take off the horse's saddle, "There you go, boy. That feels better, doesn't it?"

Belle watched the horse nuzzle into Red before she spoke, "You've a way with animals, don't you?"

"Maybe it's because I'm half of one." Red bugged her eyes slightly to show her sarcasm.

"Why are you so defensive of compliments?"

"Why do you refuse help?"

Belle looked around and down. She didn't answer the question nor did she receive one for hers.

They set up camp with everything Red brought, and Red started a fire for them both. As the night settled in and the both of them became weary, they realized that they would be sleeping next to each other. Neither said a word, they simply faced away from each other.

By the time morning came around, they'd found they'd turned around and curled into each other. Red stared down at the French princess and Belle stared into deep, captivating eyes.

"They're still captivating…" Belle whispered. She hadn't realized she spoke until she saw Red's scrunched features.

"What?"

"Nothing." Belle turned and sat up. "We should get going."

"And just where are we going to again?"

"I told you, I didn't care; I just need to get far enough away from France."

~0~0~0~0~0~

Their morning conversations went something like that every morning. Belle never knew what was far enough. They'd reached the far lands of China, even hopped aboard a ship with a captain whose eyes lingered all too long. They'd fought lost boys and hunted an evil sea witch. They'd traveled far and wide, and Ruby's sense of adventure that never seemed to dwindle, was dwindling. It wasn't because of the adventure, it was because Belle didn't seem to notice that they didn't need to run anymore.

Each day they had to get up and be somewhere else by the night. Red hadn't told Belle, exactly when they'd crossed into the White Kingdom again. Belle always had to be right, always had to be the leader. So, finally, she stopped trying to help her with her sense of direction.

It was as Belle stopped walking and stared down at her compass and map that she turned around with a glower in her face, "Where are we?"

"You're the one leading."

"Where are we?"

"We're on our way home."

"Home?"

"Yes."

"And where is that?"

"My Granny's B&B? It's all the way across the kingdom, but it looks as though you're ready to finally settle down."

"I can't settle!"

"Yes you can."

"No! I… I'm on the run!"

"No. You're not. You haven't been for quite some time…" Red rolled her eyes as she pushed past the other woman and started towards Granny's.

"My life is in danger!"

"My mood is in danger." Red spoke deadpan as she threw their pack on the ground. "I have been carrying that thing around for two years. I have listened to you gripe and moan about not being able to get caught and needing to keep on the run. Adventure is supposed to be fun. All you've done is suck the life out of living. You should be happy and carefree. You've seen the world now, you've fought lost boys, but to you that's nothing. You can't survive life. You have to live it, Belle."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you need to suck it up and admit you love me, and we need to go to Granny's take a few days, a few weeks, a few months, a couple years and do nothing, then go out and do it all again… but slower and be in love for real."

Belle dropped her compass and map, "I don't love you!" She tried as she turned away.

"Wolf shit!" Red stalked over and grabbed Belle's wrist turning her around, "You love me. I know you love me. You wouldn't pick fights with me and turn around and hold me and hug me if you didn't."

"I don't love you." Belle tried.

"Well I love you. What are you gonna do about it?"

Belle looked around the forest floor gaping at what she wasn't sure. Then lips met hers. Supple, amazing, hypnotic lips met hers and she was gone.

Once their kiss broke, she slowly opened her eyes to the werewolf, "I lied just then…"

"I know." Red nodded as she leaned in to peck her once more.

"I… I do love you."

"I know."

"You saved me. You've saved me lots."

"I have."

"You've even wolfed out when it wasn't wolfstime for me."

"I have."

"It's because you love me."

"I do."

"When did you know you loved me?"

"I knew the second morning of our adventure. We woke up next to each other and you told me my eyes were still captivating…"

"They are."

"You are captivating."

Belle smiled bashfully before she leaned in and walked with Red back to their pack, "Let's go home… for a few days, a few weeks, a few months, a couple years, and do it all over again except slower and in love."

"Let's."


End file.
